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Cytotechnologists: Career Overview

Stain, mount, and study cells to detect evidence of cancer, hormonal abnormalities, and other pathological conditions following established standards and practices.

What Do Cytotechnologists Do?

The day-to-day responsibilities of cytotechnologists span:

• Examine cell samples to detect abnormalities in the color, shape, or size of cellular components and patterns.
• Document specimens by verifying patients' and specimens' information.
• Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.
• Prepare and analyze samples, such as Papanicolaou (PAP) smear body fluids and fine needle aspirations (FNAs), to detect abnormal conditions.
• Examine specimens, using microscopes, to evaluate specimen quality.
• Maintain effective laboratory operations by adhering to standards of specimen collection, preparation, or laboratory safety.
• Provide patient clinical data or microscopic findings to assist pathologists in the preparation of pathology reports.
• Assist pathologists or other physicians to collect cell samples by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy or other method.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Effective cytotechnologists rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Top Skills

The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Core Knowledge

Related Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

• Certified Cytotechnologist
• Cytologist
• Cytology Applications Specialist
• Cytology Coordinator
• Cytology Technical Specialist
• Cytopathology Technologist
• Cytotechnologist

Job Outlook

There are about 2,344,909 cytotechnologists working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +10.3% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Cytotechnologists Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$155,812
Hourly median	$74.91
10th percentile	$89,619
25th percentile	$122,715
75th percentile	$188,909
90th percentile	$222,005

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Tech Stack

• Expert system software: Ansible software (hot technology)
• Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

The work environment for cytotechnologists is shaped by the following characteristics:

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• E-Mail
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

How to Become Cytotechnologists

Typical cytotechnologists positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Microbiologists (Primary-Long)
• Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (Primary-Long)
• Physicians, Pathologists (Primary-Short)
• Radiologists (Primary-Long)
• Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists (Primary-Short)
• Cytogenetic Technologists (Primary-Short)
• Histotechnologists (Primary-Short)
• Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians (Supplemental)

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Future cytotechnologists commonly pursue programs in:

Health Professions and Related Programs

5 programs across 1 majors

• Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science

References

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 29-2011.02 (Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists).